Winning Super Bowl Xx Was A 'Day At The Office'

July 16, 1986|By Mike Ditka and Don Pierson, Special to The Sentinel

There is probably no event in American sports that receives as much media attention and worldwide recognition as the Super Bowl.

Many expert observers claim never in the 20-year history of the Super Bowl has there been a more perfect football game played than that of the Chicago Bears in the 1986 thumping of the New England Patriots in New Orleans.

Individual players, who were both media stars and football stars by virtue of the excitement that they generated in the regular season, somehow were transformed by this game into a single unit that performed flawlessly in full view of millions of football fans.

They were led, inspired and bullied to this unprecedented victory by their head coach, Mike Ditka.

''Okay, we've got two minutes. You did all the talking last night. The only thing that I want to say is you made your feelings clear on what has to happen. Everybody said it . . . Gary, Walter, Dan, Jim, Mike. You know what it is going to take. It is going to take your best effort on every play. Dedicate ourselves to that, and we should have no problems. Go out and play Bear football, smart and aggressive. If something bad happens, don't worry. Why? Because we're in this together as a football team, and we are going to play it for each other, and we're going to win this game for 49, 50 or whatever number we have in this room. We are going to win it for each other. We are going to play it for each other, and we're going to pick each other up. That's what it's all about. This is out of love for each other. This is your game. Any other intentions won't be accepted. But you are going to win this game for each other. So let's go out there and play our kind of football.

''Let's have the Lord's Prayer. Heavenly Father, we are grateful for this opportunity, and we thank you for the talents you have given us, the chance to prove that we are the very best. Father, we ask that you give us the courage and the commitment to use the talents to the best of our ability so that we may give the glory back to you. Father, we ask that you may protect all the players in the game so that they may play the game free from injury. We pray as always in the name of Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord. Amen. Let's go.''

Mike Ditka's pregame speech, Super Bowl XX.

Pete Rozelle came up to me on the Superdome field while we were warming up and said he was a Bears fan. I said, ''I don't think you're a Bears fan, but you ought to thank us. We got the TV ratings back up.'' He said, ''No, I've always liked the Bears. I know I've been hard on you a little bit.''

I got letters from him all year about players violating the uniform code and hitting late, fighting in Dallas, having a bounty on quarterbacks. They were on us for Jim McMahon's headband, and the ROOS on Walter Payton's shoes, for our socks being too high. You really think they're picking on you. I'm sure they did it with some other teams, but I think I said it very clearly when I said there are fair-haired kids and there are kids who are not so fair- haired in this league.

We were confident we could beat the Patriots. Some people wanted a rematch with the Dolphins. I didn't care who we played. I always thought the best matchup would have been the Raiders and Bears. It would have been just a brawl.

Going into the game we said it was okay to win it for other reasons, but if anything I would like to see us play this one for each other. That's what really counts. I wanted them to dedicate it to their teammates. We talked about the same thing after the game. We always said the Lord's Prayer and a prayer of thanksgiving. It wasn't that jubilant. It was like another day at the office. Peggy Lee sang a great song, ''Is That All There Is?'' And it really felt that way. The game can never match what they build it up to be.

I think we were ready to play the week before. We had put in our game plan during the three days we spent in Champaign practicing under the bubble at the University of Illinois. The Patriots were talking about how they were a road team because they had to win three games on the road as the wild-card team. Heck, we were a road team, too. We had to practice in Suwanee, Ga., and in Champaign.

The way people underrated our offense, especially through the playoffs, was the most enjoyable thing to me. That we played good defense was no surprise to me. Our defensive guys epitomize the philosophy of chip-on-the- shoulder football. They don't mess around. But I thought Jim McMahon should have been the most valuable player in the Super Bowl. I have no quarrel with Richard Dent or anyone on defense. Dent was great. Dan Hampton was great. He could have been MVP. But the reason the whole thing was going on was McMahon. He put himself under pressure, behind the eight-ball, and won the game.